My Thoughts and Experiences Behind the Camera Lens

A Revolutionary Trip to Egypt

I originally scheduled my Egypt trip for January 29^th. I wanted to celebrate my 40^th birthday on this trip, but I had to cancel due to the revolution. I considered other places (Spain, Turkey, Germany) to visit. However, I decided to wait and reschedule because no other place would satisfy my appetite like Egypt.

Once the people’s demands were met and the travel bans were lifted, I booked the 9-day King Tutankhamen trip and prepared for a lifetime trip.

Shortly after my arrival into Cairo, I departed for the resort. The Cairo sights amazed me as 24 million inhabitants resume normal lives despite their historical transition less than a month ago. I arrived at the beautiful Oasis Hotel resort in Cairo and enjoyed a nice dinner at their restaurant for my first night.

The next day began early when the participants met in the hotel lobby to meet our tour guide, Sharif. After his introduction, we traveled to the Pyramids of Giza as he gave us their history. The sight was incredible and the vendors were ecstatic to see tourists again. They eagerly greeted us with various products. There are 130+ pyramids discovered in Egypt. We visited the legendary ones built for the Egyptian Pharoahs, King Khufu and King Khafre. To further enrich the experience, we paid for a half-hour camel ride. The most intimidating part of the ride is when the camel stands. Unlike a horse, the camel must lay down in order to get on it. First they stand up the back legs then their front ones, so you must hold on tightly. Once the ride concluded, we visited the Sphinx nearby and grabbed some photos.

We ended the tour with a visit to a papyrus shop. The presentation and the artwork were so impressive, I left with three items. Finally, we returned to our hotel to prepare for the overnight trip to Aswan.

Shortly after our arrival to Aswan, we took a short ride to our cruise ship. The spacious room with a balcony to view the Nile was beautiful. After a brief lunch with our new guide and fellow tourists, we visited the High Dam. Next, we headed to Philae Temple, which is situated on an island. We toured the temple for an hour and a half, made our way back to Aswan and went shopping in the local market.

Our first night on the ship, we enjoyed dinner and watched the Nubian musicians and dancers perform on the ship.

Day Four

The next morning, we gathered for a quick breakfast and caught a flight to Abu Simbel. The temples’ story describing how they moved them is amazing. Later that evening, we set sail to the Temple of Kom Ombo. As the cruise ship reached the location, we saw the beautiful temple aglow in the night sky. Only a short walk away, we toured the temple with Mohamed, and grabbed some beautiful night-time photos.

Day Five

We meet at 6:00 AM for a trip to the Temple of Horus. After leaving the ship, several carriages were awaiting to take us to the temple. We were the first tourists at the site and we enjoyed unobstructed views of the hieroglyphics. As we departed the temple, streets were bustling with tourist groups heading to the temple. We spent the remainder of the day aboard the ship. I took my iPod and enjoyed the day on the sun deck. After dinner, we watched the belly dancer and other entertainment,

Day Six

We checked out of the cruise ship, reunited with the Felucca group and checked into our Luxor hotel. It was a beautiful facility located on the Nile banks. Some of us toured the area capturing photos and enjoying the local dining. Our tour guide, Sharif, made reservations at a local restaurant and we enjoyed delicious Egyptian food.

Day Seven

We gathered in the lobby approximately an hour and a half prior to sunrise. With a boxed lunch, we boarded a small boat and headed across the Nile. After a short ride in a van, we arrived in an open field where several crew times were inflating the hot air balloons. The guide led us to our balloon basket and within a few minutes, the ground left us. Unlike the dramatic departure of a jet plane generating air to lift it, the engineless balloon drifted into the air with ease. For the next 45 minutes, we ascended to 2,500 feet overlooking the Nile and the surrounding countryside including Queen Hatshepsut’s temple and the Valley of the Kings.

Later that day, we visited the Temple of Karnak. This impressive temple featured elaborate columns and statues more impressive than any other we visited. The Egyptians ability to create such temples with precision and without modern-day machinery is amazing.

Some group members headed to Dahab, so we grabbed a group photo and those who remained later boarded a train to Cairo.

Day Eight

This is the last full day of my trip. We arrived at the Giza train station and returned to the Oasis Hotel. After checking in and taking a hot shower, we opted to visit the Cairo Museum. We left the museum and headed to the Cairo marketplace. With a population exceeding 24 million, Cairo possesses many shopping locales. We visited an area dedicated to tourists and the local population. We ended the day at a fast food restaurant. After returning to the hotel, our remaining group reminisced over the past week’s events. Later, I packed up for my next day’s flight.

The next day I departed for the hotel, arrived safely in London where my friend took me home thus concluding my last, yet memorable, trip while in England.

Photography over the last decade experienced many innovations. The advent of digital photography created an explosion of interest for many people. No longer are we bound by the expense of film and development. We can take an infinite amount of photos and delete the disappointments with ease and with no expense except for the time used to take the image.

The sophistication of today’s camera surpasses the simplicity of past models. This development is a double-edged sword. It allows us to capture images without understanding ISO sensitivity, shutter speed, and aperture, the three elements necessary to properly expose an image. I, and other, photographers hear people comment how easy it is to take a picture. Some people believe if you purchase an expensive enough camera, you can rip it out the box and start creating postcard-quality photos.

Some have made the following statements regarding my images. “That’s a beautiful picture. You must have a nice camera.” or my favorite response “Those were some nice photos. YOU didn’t take them did you? (This was from a family member!)” I receive the comments in the spirit in which they were given. However, have you ever seen a beautiful painting and thought, “Wow, this artist must have some nice brushes!” People didn’t concern themselves with Michelangelo’s equipment used to paint the Sistine Chapel; nor did anyone care about the make and model of Miles Davis’s trumpet. Yet, photography seems to be the exception where more credit is given to the tool than the artist. When was the last time you visited your favorite restaurant and concerned yourself about the type of stove used?

I’ve worked with a friend for a few months to help him with his photography. He has a great point ‘n shoot camera. He believes he needs a better camera to improve his images. I urge him to improve his photography skills before upgrading his camera. A better camera not only makes taking great shots easier. It makes taking bad shots easier as well. If you do not understand the principles involved in taking great shots, guess which ones you’ll end up with the most.

I challenged him some time ago to use my camera and I would use his. We went to Cambridge, UK. It is a beautiful area with a river running through the city and the historic Cambridge University situated along the river. I gave him my Digital Rebel XT and a choice of lenses. He chose to use the lens with a 15x zoom so he could have wide angle and telephoto capability.

He was initially frustrated with the controls, but he found his comfort zone and he believed this was the missing ingredient for his recipe in taking great photos. I enjoyed using his point ‘n shoot camera and I looked forward to seeing my images on the computer.

We downloaded our images and began to examine the results. As we looked at his photos, he realized what he saw on the LCD wasn’t showing up on the computer. The reality is the equipment didn’t make his shots better. He’s realizing the challenge is how to transform what he visualizes into a good photograph. A great camera can do many things, but it cannot interpret our vision.

Every person purchasing a nice camera does not need to read photography books and take classes. Yet, capturing beautiful and lasting images takes time and it’s not the camera, but the photographer that matters.

Every photo in this post was taken with his camera, Canon S90.

“Gear is Good, Vision is Better.” – David duChemin

-Roger